Mdw Ntr

Taken from http://teacher.scholastic.com/lessonrepro/lessonplans/theme/egypt02.htm

Most people don't understand that Mdw Ntr and hieroglyphs are similar words; they are just two different languages. It is the same thing as water and its Spanish equalivant agua. In the beginning Mdw Ntr signs were used to keep record of the king's possessions. Pictograms is the simpler term for hieroglyphs. Scribes could easily make these records by drawing a picture of a cow or a boat followed by a number. As the language became more complex more pictures were needed. Eventually the language consisted more than 750 individual signs.

The word hieroglyphs, a Greek word that means "sacred carving," is a symbol language that was used to communicate information on temples and monuments. It could be written with pen and ink on papyrus or painted or carved into stone. It was carefully drawn to make the signs as accurate as possible.

Mdw Ntr appeared about 5,000 years ago. The Kemetians first used Mdw Ntr for inscriptions carved or painted on temple walls. This form of writing was also used on tombs, sheets of papyrus, wooden boards covered with a stucco wash, potsherds, and fragments of limestone.

Mdw Ntr is written in columns or in horizontal lines. It is commonly read from right to left and from top to bottom. Sometimes, the script is read from left to right. The reader can find out which way to read it by looking at the animal and human figures. If they face towards the left of the text you read from left to right. If a figure faces right, the text should be read from right to left.

The reader is to read toward the face of the animal and/or human figures. For example if a figure faces right, the text should be read from right to left. The text below is read from left to right because the faces in the humans and animals are turned to the left.

Taken from http://www.nilemuse.com/hieroscribe.html

There are six different stages of the Mdw Ntr writing and they are:

Stage of Mdw Ntr	Period Used
* Archaic Egyptian * Old Egyptian * Middle Egyptian * Late Egyptian * Demotic * Coptic	before 2600 BC between 2600 BC and 2000 BC between 2000 BC and 1300 BC between 1300 BC and 700 BC between the seventh century BC and fifth century AD between fourth and fourteenth century AD

How to read Mdw Ntr

Write down the Hieroglyph .. ex: /\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Transliterate the Hieroglyph .. ex: n ('en')

Translate the Transliteration .. ex: water

Mdw Ntr is only one of the three scripts which was used in KMT. It was the start of a chain. From Mdw Ntr came Hieratic and from Hieratic, Enchorial was developed. Enchorial is also known as Demotic. None of these writings ended the use of the other ones. There is a difference between Hieratic and Demotic. In the Graeco-Roman age Hieratic was the usual script the priests used. Hieratic comes from the Greek word hïeratikos meaning priestly. Demotic is the more popular language. Demotic comes from the greek word dëmötikos and Enchorial comes from the Greek word enkhörios. Demotic means popular and Enchorial means native. The earliest dechiperers used the term Enchorial. Demotic made its first appearance at the time of the Ethiopian Dynasty. During the Ptolemaic and Roman age it was the writing of daily life.

There are three kinds of Phonograms. Uniliteral and Alphabetic are the first. They are signs that represent single consonants. The second is Biliteral and that is the combination of two consonants. The last is Triliteral and the are the combinations of three consonants. Hieroglyphic writing ignored vowels. Ideograms that serve to determine a considerable number of different words can naturally express the kind of sense borne by these, and no their specific meanings were called Generic Determinatives.

This video clip further explains Mdw Ntr and KMT (Ancient Egypt)
(If you would like to download right click here and save target as)

This section talks about what Mdw Ntr is and how its used- Dr. Poe says Mdw Ntr is a priestly carving, but the Kemetians called it the "Words of God". He also talks about the contribution Mdw Ntr made to the name of God now. He says they used Mdw Ntr to deal with legal situations and mathematical calculations and historical interpretations. All this is what Mdw Ntr did for KMT.

Ideas from Mdw Ntr are used in many places today, more information can be found by clicking here. The Rosetta Stone was an essential link for the Western world to decipher the meanings of the Mdw Ntr. To learn more about the Rosetta Stone click here.

Taken from http://www.davidk.net/media/portfolio/photographs/egypt/hieroglyphs_words.jpg

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